Caroline was appalled by the number of women who were begging and living on the streets of Sydney. She discovered a group of 64 homeless women seeking shelter in The Rocks area with only 14 shillings and 3 pence amongst them. Many girls were dumped on the wharf when they arrived in Australia, and had nowhere to go.

When her husband returned to service, Caroline stayed behind in Sydney. Determined to improve the lives of these girls she asked Governor Gipps for a building in which she would house homeless and unemployed girls, while she found suitable jobs and decent homes for them to live in. Gipps refused her request, yet Caroline eventually managed to convince his wife and then the governor himself of the benefits. The building she was given had been unused for quite some time, filthy and full of rats. She saw this as a challenge given to her by god and worked hard towards her goal.

The home for female immigrants was a great success. Within two years she had assisted 1000 women with finding jobs and homes. After six years the total had reached 11,000.

Women in England were told of a better life they could live in Australia. When they arrived in the country all their hopes were dashed, and the so-calledglamorous land was merely a primitivepenal colony. Caroline mainly worked with these women but also whole families as soon they were suffering the same burdens of poverty and homelessness. She gave up a significant amount of her own time to helping others and was often critisized for neglecting her nine children. On top of all this, Caroline pushed for betting conditions aboard ships and developed the Family Reunion Scheme, which involved the families of ex-convicts being shipped to Australia free of charge. She never once accepted money for her work.